The government should be careful of the precedents, which it creates

May 23, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

It has become a given that the ruling PPP/C government does not respect the institution of Parliament. First there was the inactivity – a shutdown – of Parliament, when the election of the Leader of the Opposition should have occurred. In fact, during that time, in December 2025, President Irfaan Ali delivered a major national address on the lawns of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, when he outlined his government five-year agenda. As the Speaker refused to convene Parliament to elect the Leader of the Opposition, it meant that members of opposition parties were excluded from that event. During the time of that Parliamentary shutdown, the Speaker attended a Conference in India. And now, during the present shutdown, the Deputy Speaker is attending a Conference in Canada.

A core function of parliamentarians is to perform their duties in the House of Assembly: pilot legislation, contribute towards debate, sit on committees etc. When the government shuts down parliament, it means that its parliamentarians are not performing their core functions, for which they are paid. Further, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are not performing their core parliamentary functions at all. It, therefore, loudly begs the question whether the government’s parliamentarians should be paid their full salary. They ought not to be. The situation that obtains is a manifestation political decay at the apex of Guyana’s democracy. And, metaphorically, it has an offensive stench. In what other employment sectors of Guyana are employees entitled to abandon their core employment functions and yet be paid their full salary.

The government should be careful of the precedents, which it creates. It does not have in inalienable right to govern Guyana. It is in office at the will of the people. It should eschew abusing its powers. It should particularly eschew abusing parliamentary norms. The repeated shutdown of Parliament, whilst its parliamentarians are paid their full salary is corrupt, arrogant, reprehensible and facinorous. The Guyanese people are sure to remove it from power in the future, however long it takes, whereupon the PPP/C will have no standing to criticise its successor of abuse of power.

Yours sincerely,

Willan J Cyrus Esq

England

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